Finally: got my i7 MBP

I started a new job back in March, and the company is enlightened enough to allow its employees to decide between a Mac or PC (all but one of the engineers I work with have Macs, while most of those on the business side choose PCs).

Anyway, because of the rumours about new laptops, my boss put off ordering a new Mac for me. Until today I have been using the office loaner (a previous generation base MBP - 2.53GHz, 4MB RAM, 250GB 5400rpm HDD, 9400M graphics). This is going to a summer intern next week.

The older Mac was fast, but this screams. The current software project I'm working on takes 1 min 12 seconds to compile compared to 1 min 55 seconds, probably due do the 7200 rpm HDD.

With the 8GB RAM, I can bump up the RAM assigned to my Windows 7 VM. It now scores 4.5 on the Windows Experience test compared to 2.9 on the older Mac, and I can keep the VM running without worrying about swapping to disk.

One small thing that I really, really like is the inertial scrolling when flicking down on the trackpad with two fingers.

Not everything is roses. I much prefer matte screens, but unfortunately, I'm in my 40s and with the increased resolution I have to sit 6 inches closer to it to read text on it. I've increased text size on eg. Terminal and Eclipse, but I'm really looking forward to a truly resolution-independent OS. Right now I'm tired, and maybe I'll get used to it, but I see myself working mostly with an external monitor.

It's also hotter than the older MBP, which hardly ever got above 55˚C and with the fans at 2000 rpm. It's at 65˚C now and the fans are at 2300rpm with pretty much the same usage pattern, and it's noticeably warmer on the bottom - the old one was definitely a laptop, while I'll hesitate to use this on my lap.

Overall the pros outweigh the cons. I just hope the screen resolution doesn't kill the experience for me. It's not yet a deal breaker.

I started a new job back in March, and the company is enlightened enough to allow its employees to decide between a Mac or PC (all but one of the engineers I work with have Macs, while most of those on the business side choose PCs).

Anyway, because of the rumours about new laptops, my boss put off ordering a new Mac for me. Until today I have been using the office loaner (a previous generation base MBP - 2.53GHz, 4MB RAM, 250GB 5400rpm HDD, 9400M graphics). This is going to a summer intern next week.

The older Mac was fast, but this screams. The current software project I'm working on takes 1 min 12 seconds to compile compared to 1 min 55 seconds, probably due do the 7200 rpm HDD.

With the 8GB RAM, I can bump up the RAM assigned to my Windows 7 VM. It now scores 4.5 on the Windows Experience test compared to 2.9 on the older Mac, and I can keep the VM running without worrying about swapping to disk.

One small thing that I really, really like is the inertial scrolling when flicking down on the trackpad with two fingers.

Not everything is roses. I much prefer matte screens, but unfortunately, I'm in my 40s and with the increased resolution I have to sit 6 inches closer to it to read text on it. I've increased text size on eg. Terminal and Eclipse, but I'm really looking forward to a truly resolution-independent OS. Right now I'm tired, and maybe I'll get used to it, but I see myself working mostly with an external monitor.

It's also hotter than the older MBP, which hardly ever got above 55˚C and with the fans at 2000 rpm. It's at 65˚C now and the fans are at 2300rpm with pretty much the same usage pattern, and it's noticeably warmer on the bottom - the old one was definitely a laptop, while I'll hesitate to use this on my lap.

Overall the pros outweigh the cons. I just hope the screen resolution doesn't kill the experience for me. It's not yet a deal breaker.

Click to expand...

Can I make a suggestion. FOR SURE exchange your notebook for the regular resolution. I'm in my 40's as well the 1440 x 900 screen is beautiful and perfect, you won't need an external monitor.

I agree with you on the heat and warmer use on the lap. What I can't understand is the amount of people on this forum that don't agree the 2010 MBP runs **noticeably** maybe on your lap uncomfortably hot compared to the '09's. We've got a bunch on each in our office, everything is easy to compare here

But, do the exchange, eat the restocking fee if you have to. The most important part of any laptop is the screen ... it's what you stare at all day, make SURE you get that part right, it's the difference between loving and hating a new MBP. Just as some can't stomach the low res, others can stand the high res..

If you're having problems reading the text; bump up the font size (hold command than press +). Compromising for the 1440x900 screen isn't worth it (you'd also have to put up with an annoying glossy display).

Yes, but setting an LCD display to a lower than its native resolution will cause the text to become grainy and look weird.

Click to expand...

As Aboo said above, a lower resolution will degrade the appearance of an LCD. However, in this particular case, that isn't even an option, as 1440x900 is not a selectable resolution on the high-res 15" MBP. The closest option is 1440x852, which means letterboxing.

Each time I order a new laptop it seems like the hardest decision is choosing a resolution. Especially since it's my primary computer for work, therefore I'm on front of it for hours on end. In my opinion no one can determine what's best except the one who's using it, and therein lies the challenge. Trying to decide based on the "in store experience" under conditions drastically different than my office at work or home is a challenge. Since I'm fortunate to have 20/20 vision I lean towards hi res.

MacRumors attracts a broad audience
of both consumers and professionals interested in
the latest technologies and products. We also boast an active community focused on
purchasing decisions and technical aspects of the iPhone, iPod, iPad, and Mac platforms.